BUENA VISTA, Va. – Following his nine rebounds against conference foe Mary Baldwin, Koa Baker has now recorded 216 total rebounds in the 2022-23 campaign, propelling him to No. 1 on the single-season rebounding leaderboard.

"Breaking this record means so much to me," Baker declared. "I am the first collegiate athlete in my direct family and a first-generation college student. My roots are from a small Native American reservation where the odds of this happening are slim to none. So, accomplishing something like this is special for me. I feel humbled and grateful to contribute to the team in this way. However, this is just the beginning; records are meant to be broken."

"Rebounding is one of those things you can control in a game because it is all heart, hustle, and effort," continued Baker. "If anything, I hope it shows that I want to leave it all out on the court for my team, my family, and God and that I strive to give the game my heart, hustle, and effort."

The Eagle Mountain, Utah, native opened up the season with four straight double-digit rebounding performances, including 13 in his first three appearances as a Knight. In the third game of the year, Baker recorded a season-high eight offensive rebounds against Shenandoah in an overtime triumph.

In a conference matchup against Methodist, the freshman recorded a season-high 15 boards. Two games later, he would surpass that mark, pulling down 16 rebounds on the road at Greensboro to push him to No. 3 all-time in the single-season rebounding rankings.

Towards the end of the first half of Tuesday night's game, Baker grabbed a rebound following a Brett Asbury missed layup to register rebound 211 of the season, surpassing Tanner Johnson on the all-time list. Johnson, a member of the men's basketball team from 2005-08, recorded 210 rebounds in his first season at Southern Virginia and is also first all-time in career rebounds, tallying 556 during his time in Buena Vista.

Baker would add five more boards during the contest against Mary Baldwin to push him to 216 on the year.

"I didn't even know I had broken the record until the next day when my teammate Sam and his parents congratulated me," exclaimed Baker. "Then, coach Adam told me about it, and it really hit me."

"Koa has been a special player for us," said Head Coach Adam Wardenburg of Baker. "He is a guy that always brings a ton of energy and has been our most consistent player throughout the year. Koa also brings a toughness to this team that we need. We know going into every game that he is going to get double-digit rebounds and get to the free-throw line. He works hard every day and never backs down from any challenge."

Baker shares a similar sentiment to his head coach, adding, "Rebounding to me is one thing that shows a lot about someone's character. I have had teammates who were great rebounders throughout the years, and I always looked up to them. They were the guys that were tough and did the gritty work. I loved and respected those guys."

When asked about Koa's influence off the court, Wardenburg stated, "Not only is Koa a great basketball player, but he is an even better person! He is always looking to serve others, he is always looking to help our team, and he treats everyone with kindness and respect. We are very grateful to have someone as special as Koa in our program, and our program is special because we have a team full of guys like Koa!"

Baker was quick to give thanks to the many people who have helped him get to where he is now. "I want to give a shout-out to my wife and also our trainer Forrest who both do so much behind the scenes to keep me healthy, making this feat possible. I also want to thank coach Adam, coach John, and coach Junior for teaching me the intangibles that have helped me all year. They and my teammates have kept me accountable all season to be at my best and helped me play at my best. They all believed in me, and that's all I could ask. I could not have done this without all of them."

The freshman forward will look to add to his total with three regular season matches remaining, beginning with two crucial home contests this weekend.

To keep up with this weekend's games and for all the most up-to-date information regarding Southern Virginia University men's basketball, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knight_hoops on Instagram.